The Toronto Blue Jays have battled to stay near the .500 mark all year long, but after Tuesday's loss against the Houston Astros they still sit eight games under and time is running out to make a run at an American League wild card spot.
While the team has struggled as a whole, the biggest problem has certainly been the play of first basemanVladimir Guerrero Jr., who is in the midst of the worst season of his eight-year career.
Across 108 games, the 27-year-old has posted a .259 batting average, .338 on-base percentage, .687 OPS, six home runs and 44 RBIs. Guerrero has just 18 doubles as well, as his power has completely evaporated.
© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Guerrero has dealt with a lower back injury and right hamstring tightness this year that may be affecting him more than he is letting on.
He has not been placed on the injured list for either issue but has been held out of the lineup on occasion to get back to or at least close to full health.
During Tuesday's loss to the Astros, Guerrero had another rough performance, going 0-for-3 at the plate and failing to record a hit for the third straight game. Even worse, he also appeared to suffer an injury.
While running out a ground ball in the eighth inning, Guerrero bent over in discomfort and shook out his legs, indicating his right hamstring may have flared up again.
He elected to remain in the game. After the game, manager John Schneider provided an encouraging update, revealing that Guerrero is simply tight and fatigued and that the issue is nothing to worry about (h/t Keegan Matheson of MLB.com).
However, Schneider did not commit to Guerrero being in the lineup for Wednesday's series finale against Houston. If he is unable to go, Kazuma Okamoto would likely slot in at first base in his place.
